UEFA men's club competitions: collaboration before the big kick-off

As fans across the globe eagerly await the return of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, preparations are in full swing to ensure a seamless start to the season.

Following the excitement of last week’s league phase draws in Monaco, representatives from all 108 participating clubs gathered at the House of European Football in Nyon to finalise operational plans ahead of kick-off on 16 September.

Working closely with clubs is key to us delivering world-class competitions. Through a series of briefings, meetings and information sessions, club representatives gained insights and aligned on an array of crucial topics, enjoying additional networking opportunities to foster a strong bond between the European club community.

"The league-phase meetings always open a season and make sure that all clubs can be on the same page when the competition starts," explained UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti.

"The meetings help the clubs understand every detail and learn how to do everything in a way that results in the most successful outcome for the matches and the competitions themselves. This collaboration between UEFA and the clubs is essential – we do nothing without the clubs – and the competitions take shape thanks to this close cooperation."

Perfect initiation for the new boys

This season, we welcome 12 teams into European football for the very first time, while 36 are first-time qualifiers to the new league phase format, having not participated in UEFA competitions last season.

While Bodø/Glimt, Kairat Almaty, Pafos and Union Saint-Gilloise will all experience the thrill of a debut Champions League campaign, Hamrun Spartans are the first ever team from Malta to reach the league phase (or group stage) of any UEFA competition, embarking on their Conference League adventure against Poland's Jagiellonia on 2 October.

For Hamrun's head of international relations Victor Cassar, this event provides all the key details, and vital contacts, to help them hit the ground running.

"The experience was very, very welcoming and UEFA has been very cooperative," Cassar said. "It's a nice experience to be with all these delegates from top clubs, and for us, it's a new thing, so we are enjoying making the most of it.

"This is a very big opportunity for our club, to qualify for the league phase, something which a Maltese club has never done before. We are looking forward to winning as many matches as possible and while we have a lot of respect for our opponents, we believe we can pick up some points and raise our level even higher."

Friends old as well as new

In addition to structured information sessions and organisational meetings, clubs also had access to on-demand support on a range of essential tools and services, including match and commercial operations, financial distribution and disciplinary matters, as well as a presentation on refereeing directives from UEFA refereeing officer Bjorn Kuipers.

And it is not just the newcomers that benefit from this opportunity to share dialogue with UEFA and the other clubs.

At last week's Champions League draw, Chelsea FC received a special prize for becoming the first club to lift every possible UEFA trophy, yet they continue to learn from dialogue with other teams.

"The event has been very good. It's very informative and the referees' presentation in particular was very good;" said David Barnard, Chelsea's director of football operations. "The rest of it, with 'speed dating', is a new idea that was introduced last year, and it gives us the opportunity to speaks face to face with our counterparts."

FC Porto are another regular in UEFA competitions, this season aiming for a repeat of their 2011 glory in the Europa League.

"It's great to be back to the House of European Football, good to see familiar faces and get to know other clubs that we speak to via email," explained Claudia Ferreira, Porto's head of external relations. "We have people we can speak to if there are doubts or questions about disciplinary issues, and we can embrace this experience and the great environment that we have here."

A half-time barbecue dinner on Tuesday offered participants the perfect opportunity discuss other topics such as the new league phase format with UEFA colleagues, building relationships with the club counterparts they will soon be meeting at fixtures across Europe.